Vegan Baked Ziti is an easy weeknight meal! This comforting pasta dish is made with cooked ziti noodles, marinara sauce, cashew cheese and optional vegan “meat”. Gluten free & Nut free options.
This recipe was one of the first I ever posted to my website nearly 3 years ago. It remains one of my most popular recipes for a reason, and always receives rave reviews from everyone who tries it!
I decided to give it a fresh look with new photos, as well as improved instructions, but the recipe itself is unchanged from the original.
You’re going to love this Vegan Baked Ziti! It’s perfect to make when company comes over, a holiday dinner, or just a busy weeknight because it’s SO EASY.
Plus! It can be made gluten free if needed, whole grain or nut free. You can top the whole thing with some non-dairy cheese shreds, and add vegan ground “meat” to the dish if desired.
How to make Vegan Baked Ziti, step by step
- Add cooked ziti noodles to a lightly greased casserole dish, then pour a jar of marinara sauce over the noodles. If adding vegan ground “meat”, add it now as well. Stir a little bit.
- Make the cashew cheese, then add it to the pasta. Stir lightly, but not too much, leaving pockets of cheese throughout.
- Optional: Top with a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds, I used Daiya mozzarella.
- Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until hot. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
Special Tips & Substitutions
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free pasta. You might not be able to find ziti, but a similar shape will work just fine.
- Nut Free: For a totally nut free option, use a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds instead of the homemade cashew cheese. Make sure your cheese isn’t made of nuts though! I do this sometimes just to save time.
- Vegan “Meat”: Use a few cups (2-2 1/2 cups, or one bag) of vegan ground “beef” such as Gardein, Beyond Beef or another brand. You could also add a few sliced vegan italian sausages (I love Field Roast brand). I don’t cook them first, just add to the pasta and sauce frozen or cold.
- Instead of topping with mozzarella non-dairy cheese, sprinkle with Vegan Parmesan instead.
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Want more Vegan Pasta Recipes?
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
Vegan Baked Ziti
Vegan Baked Ziti is an easy weeknight meal! This comforting pasta dish is made with cooked ziti noodles, marinara sauce, cashew cheese and optional vegan "meat". Gluten free & Nut free options.
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- juice from 1 large lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
The Rest
- 1 pound ziti noodles gluten free if needed
- 25 ounces marinara sauce ( 1 jar)
- 2 1/2 cups vegan ground "beef" OR 2-3 sliced vegan sausages, optional
- 1 bag non-dairy mozzarella cheese shreds, optional for topping
- Optional: Vegan Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Make the Cashew Cheese sauce: Soak the cashews in boiling hot water for at least 5 minutes. Drain the cashews and add them to a high powered blender along with the water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides down as needed. Set aside.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions. You can cook the pasta while your cashews are soaking to save time. Drain the noodles and add to casserole dish.
- Pour the marinara sauce and "meat", if using, on top of the noodles and stir to combine.
- Spoon the cashew cheese on top of noodle/sauce mixture and stir gently, leaving pockets of cheese intact.
- Sprinkle with non-dairy mozzarella cheese shreds OR about 1/2 cup of Vegan Parmesan.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until hot throughout.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free noodles that are a similar shape to ziti, such as Penne.
- Nut Free: Substitute a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds (check ingredients to ensure nut free) for the Cashew Cheese.
- If you don't care for nutritional yeast, you may leave it out of the cheese.
- My favorite brands of vegan ground beef are Gardein or Beyond Beef crumbles. I like Field Roast brand Italian sausages for this recipe as well.
- This dish can be frozen. Once cooked, let it cool completely, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until warm.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, making it a great meal prep for lunches.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 863mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 432IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot of blogs. Cooking is my thing! And yours is the first blog that I want to make every recipe. I got your meal plan and this is what we are going to eat for the entire week. I was not sure about the “cheese sauce” because I’m not a fan of nutritional yeast but man, that was good! I did not put all the sauce on the ziti since I was not sure how it was going to go but the kids keep adding more and more to their pasta. It does not taste like cheese but it’s creamy and super yummy! I put an extra garlic clove and more salt and it was delish! I’m more confident about the rest of the week!
Awwww BEST COMMENT EVER! Thank you so much. I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the baked ziti! Hope you enjoy the rest of the week, too.
If I’m allergic to cashews, do you think I could sprinkle some store-bought vegan cheese on top?
Oh absolutely! I just did this using the Daiya cutting board shreds and it was divine.
Thanks! Can’t wait to try this then!
I cannot get over how good this is- it looks and tastes just like the ziti my mom used to make. Unbelievably good!!!! Absolutely a repeat!!!!!
This recipe is seriously amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
We eat this every Sunday night in our home, everyone loves it!
Excellent! I followed the recipe exactly. My husband and 1 year old loved it, my picky 6 year old ate it without complaints! Thank you
I’m so glad! This dish is almost always a big hit with kids! Thank you. 🙂
Wow ! My daughters & I have finally decided to go the vegan route this year and it has been challenging. I made this last night and we all loved it so much. Thank you so much ! The cashew cream tastes so rich and we did not miss cheese at all. This recipe is a keeper and I’m sharing with all my friends 🙂
Just made this tonight—so easy and delicious! Having a chronic illness, it’s so important to have recipes that are quick, don’t involve a ton of prep work, and come together SO deliciously. I’m excited to have the leftovers for tomorrow. Thank you <3
Made this tonight it was so easy and yummy!
Thanks ?
Perfect hearty comfort food. I love how the lemon juice makes the cashew cheese slightly tangy. Thank you!
Perfect hearty comfort food. I love how the lemon gives the cashew cheese sauce a slight tang. Thank you!
I had to make myself stop eating this! Unbelievably good!!!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it’s my favorite vegan recipe to date! It is really amazing. I liked it better than typical baked ziti. So cheesy and amazing! My husband rated it 6/5 and he’s a tough grader. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and your husband did, too!
hmm Vegan parmesan? I’ve never tried it before. They looks like mashed peanut xD Such a tasty casserole, anywways 🙂
– Natalie
This one is a favorite by many! Yes, vegan parmesan is delicious on top of all sorts of dishes. 🙂 Thanks!
If i cooked and refrigerated the night before and reheated to bring to Christmas Eve dinner would it be okay and not soggy?
You could, but it might get a bit soggy. It would be better to make the cashew cheese, and even cook the pasta, but keep everything separated until you are ready to serve it. Then, just quickly throw it all together and bake.
Do you feel the yeast really makes or breaks this? I can’t have it or dairy and would love to try this. Especially b/c my children hate store bought vegan cheese. LOL!
It will still be good without the nutritional yeast! I hope you are your children love it. 🙂
I just made this tonight for dinner and all I can say is WOW! This recipe is a keeper for sure! It is so darn good and even my non-vegan husband said, boy this is great! Thank you for the recipes and you have a bunch more I can’t wait to make!
Thanks Karla! So glad you both enjoyed the ziti!
Hi! This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it. Do you think it could work with zoodles?
Amber
Thank you! About using zoodles, or zucchini noodles, I’m not sure! It would be a totally different dish but it would probably taste good!
This looks really good! Would this last as a weekly meal prep?
Thanks, it is SO good! Yes, it will last in the refrigerator 3-5 days.
Made this last night for the son’s 18th birthday and all of us enjoyed it! Thank you for your recipes!
So happy to hear it! You are SO welcome. 🙂
Can this be turned into a freezer meal?
Yes it can be a freezer meal. I would prepare the recipe up to the point of baking it, then cover well and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then bake as directed. You may need to bake it a little longer than normal.
Just wanted to say that I made this for dinner this evening and even my fussiest child loved it. It is so rare to make something new that everyone likes! I’ll be adding this to my regular meal rotation from now on. ?
Yay! I love it when even the fussy children enjoy my recipes! 🙂 I’m so glad you all enjoyed the ziti, it’s one of my favorites.
Wow!!! Now I need to make that immediately!
This was so yummy. I can’t wait to make it again. Wondering how many days I should wait.
That’s great to hear Jessica, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Can you make your cheese sauces without cashews or other tree nuts? Why do so many recipes call for cashews or other tree nuts in vegan cheese sauces? I have family members allergic to tree nuts and coconut ingredients.
Hi Cindy! If you search for “nut free vegan cheese sauce”, you will find some options. Sometimes people make vegan cheese sauces out of potatoes, carrots and other ingredients, but I have found using cashews makes some of the most delicious vegan cheeses. That’s why I use them in my vegan cheese recipes. I haven’t found anything else that works the same at all, but I will think about coming up with a nut free vegan cheese sauce of some kind. I do have plenty of recipes on the website without nuts. You could try replacing tofu with the cashews for this particular cheese sauce, that works quite well. Thank you!
My daughter made this a few days ago and wont hush about how awesome it is. I am so thankful to have those like you make converting to Vegan eating and Plant based
Oh that’s so great to hear, thank you for sharing! It’s a very comforting dish, one of my favorites.